House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, 1)

4.5 ⭐️ I absolutely loved this book, but it was a little slow for me at times and a bit hard to get into. Urban fantasy is not my favorite, but this one was extremely well written. In my eyes, SJM can do no wrong. She is unmatched when it comes to writing about grief. I felt very connected to the characters and thoroughly enjoyed their respective developments. The ending had me in tears. I am super excited to continue with this series!

I really, really, enjoyed this book :) :) I used to read a lot of fantasy in my youth but have not really dabbled as much in this genre as of late but as soon as I dived into the amazing world building and hierarchical structures of the City that impacts its citizens as well as the political intrigue, history and intricate plot work - I was all-in! The final chapters had me on the edge of my seat, sobbing, relishing, aching...and the unlikely (and perfect) love story between Bryce and Hunt made my heart soar I am very happy that I picked this up - one of my favorite reads of the year so far

It felt like nothing was happening from pages 0 to around 650... then everything happened in the last 140 pages with like 5 ish pages leading you onto the next book.

Spice level is low... this book gets recommended with Quicksilver, but it's nowhere near as spicy, which isn't a bad thing as the story and world are interesting

Wow. Just wow. Maas does it again. This was so so good! I can't wait for book two!

’m not ok. I finished House of Earth & Blood (book one in the Crescent City series) days ago and I’m still processing the trauma that I went through. I’ve read ACOTAR so I know that Sarah J. Maas is the queen of making adrenaline filled heart wrenching scenes, but I was not prepared for this one. Part one took me by surprise but by the ending, I had gone through all the stages of grief so many times that I lost count. I know people have said that the world building in the story is heavy and hard to follow but I would respectfully disagree. This is a perfect world and one that I would love to live in and explore just as much as Prythian, if not more What I loved: ✨ That every little thing that Maas has the characters look at, pass by, reference is important later in the story ✨ That it is told in the third person omniscient point of view. The juxtaposition between the thoughts and the suspected motives behind each of the characters actions is amazing. There is one scene where Hunt assumes that the wound on Bryce was healed long ago because a “party girl” wouldn’t want her body damaged but then we find out that she has never gotten it healed and it still bothers her *chef’s kiss* ✨ It is a murder mystery that I was unable to solve ✨ The characters as flawed as they were, were so lovable and relatable that any action/harm done against them I felt. I also loved Syrinx and would go to battle to keep him safe ✨ Bryce’s Ordeal and everything that followed. It was incredibly well written and had me on the edge of my seat….but I am not ok and Maas will be receiving a bill from my therapist. Also, I will never look at a vacuum the same way again ✨ Favorite quote: “I am a descendant of Rathia Drahl, Queen of Embers. She is with me now and I am not afraid…My friends are behind me, and I will protect them” 🛑 WARNING: this is a SJM story, which means characters die. No one is safe and I will forever be in mourning Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Spicy rating: 🌶🌶